The journey of Chris McCandless in Into the Wild is full of connections to every person's life. These connections aren't only limited to connections from a transcendentalist viewpoint, but the travels of McCandless can teach lessons about life in general. One of the foremost lessons that can be taken from his travels is that most people cannot exist without help from their fellow man, and that being able to accept this help is crucial to survival. Chris’s fatal flaw is that he doesn’t accept help and advice from other people. This is clearly pointed out by Krakauer on many occasions. One such occasion is when Chris actually decides to go into the wild. Jim Gallien tries to convince him that he is unprepared and will, not survive but Chris rejects Gallien's advice. The only things he will take are a pair of boots and a small sandwich. Even the small amount of help that he does accept, however, does a great deal. He wouldn’t have survived a week without the waterproof boots. Another lesson that can be taken from his journey that goes along with the acceptance of help is to be prepared. Chris, for a lot of his travels, is not prepared with the knowledge or supplies required for survival. A prime example is when he only takes a gun, a small bag of rice, and a few other supplies into the Alaskan wilderness. Another example is seen when he goes on the canoe trip and doesn't appreciate the difficulty of navigation or rowing in a rainstorm. He gets so frustrated that he actually breaks an oar on the side of his canoe. These and many other lessons can be seen through Chris' journey.
Loading...